Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began in 1933 as a part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal relief program.

A federal program, the CCC worked in connection with the U.S. Army, Depts. Of the Interior, Agriculture, and Labor, and the National Park Service to provide work relief for single, unemployed men between the ages of 18 and 25.

Later, World War I veterans were also allowed to join the CCC. Paid $30 a month, with $25 of the pay sent home to their families, the enrollees were housed in army-style camps and worked on forestry, soil reclamation, park construction, and fire suppression projects. Enrollees generally signed up for six-month stints. The CCC remained in operation until 1942, when World War II diverted energies and money away from federal relief programs. Florida maintained an annual average of twenty-five CCC camps throughout the program’s existence. The Florida Park Service is an outgrown of the CCC.